喜ぶ

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 合格して喜んだ。▶ —
   I was happy to pass.
2. 皆喜んでいる。▶ —
   Everyone is delighted.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Yorokobu (喜ぶ) is the godan intransitive for "to rejoice." 喜 = 壴 (drum) plus 口 (mouth) = "drumming and singing." Paired with kanashimu and the i-adjective ureshii. Nuance: yorokobu is active and observable; ureshii is inner state. Cultural code jita kyoukai (自他境界, self-other boundary): use the adjective for yourself (watashi wa ureshii) and the verb or -gatte iru form for others (kare wa yorokonde iru). Trap: "kare wa ureshii" alone sounds wrong; switch to "kare wa ureshi-sou" or "kare wa ureshigatte iru." Yorokobi is the noun. Keiji (慶事, joyful occasions) cluster: kekkon, shussan, shoushin, nyuugaku, goukaku → oiwai, sekihan, oiwaikin. Korean gippeohada, Chinese gaoxing, English rejoice diverge. JLPT N5 yorokobu integrates with jita kyoukai.

Quick check

1. Why is "kare wa ureshii" alone ungrammatical?

   • Jita kyoukai cultural code — others inner states can only be inferred, requiring verb or -gatte iru form
   • Tense error
   • Kanji misuse
   • Pronunciation error